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Demon softball wins SEC!
Washington beats Fairfield, locks up first full conference title in 13 years
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WASHINGTON — For the first time since the summer of 2013, the Washington Demon softball team will finish all alone at the top of the Southeast Conference.
Ninth-ranked (3A) Washington locked up the SEC on Thursday night, beating Highway 1 rival Fairfield 15-2 to keep its undefeated conference streak alive and clinch the league title outright.
“I’m just really proud of the girls,” said Washington head coach Ben Obermann. “It was one of their goals, and they earned it.”
Washington didn’t waste any time, jumping on Fairfield early with five runs in the first inning. After a two-run Trojan second, the Demons poured it on with eight in the second and two in the third.
The game ended when Fairfield couldn’t put up any runs in the top of the fourth, and the Demons ended things earlier via the 12-run mercy rule.
“They’re just a pleasure to coach,” said Obermann. “Even through some lows through the years, this is something this seniors have been striving for since their eighth-grade years.”
Colbie Greiner started the game in the circle, and did a lot of damage with her bat, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Ella Greiner went 3-for-3 with two RBIs of her own.
“We’ve been working for this for so long,” said Ella Greiner. “It just feels great that in my last year, we got it done.”
Bella Salazar went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, and also picked up the win in the circle in relief. Leighton Salazar finished the night 2-for-3 with an RBI. Natalie Hartman knocked in two runs, and both Halle Cuddeback and Makenzie Messer sent in one, while Alyvia Anderson finished with two hits.
Bella Salazar, Ella Greiner, Cuddeback and Anderson are the Demons’ four seniors, all of which have played varsity since they were just upstart underclassmen.
“We went through a lot of tough times, where we were so close,” Obermann said. These seniors had some times when they were so close to beating those top teams.
Fairfield had just three hits on the day. Leah Helmick, Emma Septer and Haylee Eklund all had singles, while Lilly Bergren and Olivia Hollander both knocked in a run.
Washington hosted its own tournament on Saturday, finishing 1-1 with a win over West Burlington-Notre Dame and a loss to Highland. The Demons are now 22-7 overall and 12-0 in conference play.
After falling twice in the Clear Creek-Amana tournament, Fairfield sits at 15-14 overall and 8-4 in league play.
